After that, Julios found himself thinking about his nieces constantly.
“Your Highness, this is my niece Jane. Jane, say hello. This is Lord Julios. He is also the chosen one of the goddess, the prophetic wing.”
“It is an honor to meet you, Your Highness.”
“It is a bit embarrassing to say this myself, but she is an exceptionally talented child. If she weren’t my niece, I would have wanted to make her my daughter-in-law.”
After being resurrected from death, Julios became the most sought-after groom in the Principality.
He was a prince of the Zenos family and a wing of the goddess.
As someone who was highly regarded in both countries, it was only natural for him to be popular.
Julios’s age was no issue at all.
Although he would have already been past his prime by now, his physical age had not progressed at all over the past seven years.
Families with daughters among the noble houses were eager to establish connections with Julios.
Families without daughters wanted to bring their niece into the royal family and become in-laws. Unfortunately for the aristocrats who coveted him, Julios’s thoughts were completely consumed by his nieces.
“Will our second niece eventually grow up and make her debut in society? What kind of dress should I choose for her? I like the shoulder decorations on that young lady’s dress. Whose work is it? Rant? Grendel?”
Everything he saw, everywhere he went, he connected to his nieces. It was truly an obsession.
“Jane, wait for a moment. I need to speak with Your Highness urgently.”
As Julios kept his eyes on his niece, the Count smiled broadly. He then asked in a subtle voice.
“Your Highness, do you perhaps like my niece?”
Julios slightly furrowed his brow and muttered.
“Could it be Grendel?”
“Pardon?”
“Oh, it’s nothing. Count, I must be on my way.”
“Pardon?”
“It’s a matter related to the saintess. Please, enjoy the feast on my behalf. And Lady too.”
Leaving the banquet hall, Julios headed straight to the dressmaker.
As expected, his guess was correct.
He immediately added a dress by Grendel to the list of gifts for his niece’s coming-of-age ceremony.
Though it was uncertain whether the designer would still be alive by then.
* * *
Julios, who had gone to the dressmaker, stopped by the inner palace to see the children.
For some reason, Leticia and Dietrian had been asking him every day to visit the children.
Since it was something he also eagerly desired, he gladly agreed.
Seeing the children in person after having them constantly on his mind all day seemed to somewhat ease his longing.
Even though they were such precious nieces, he had never held them.
They were so precious that he didn’t even dare to touch them.
To Julios, the two children were nothing short of a miracle.
In a way, his own revival was due to the children as well.
The children had stopped the curse of Rehir, which allowed Leticia to save him.
“You can hold them now.”
Finally, the moment to hold his nieces had arrived.
At Leticia’s smiling words, Julios was completely frozen.
He was momentarily scared. Could he really hold such tiny children? What if he accidentally hurt them?
“Are you sure it’s okay?”
“Of course.”
Click.
As Leticia turned a screw, the rails of the crib were removed. Lowering the rails, the children who had been squirming on the crib looked up at their mother.
Leticia carefully picked up the first son.
There was a saying that the first son resembles the mother and the first daughter resembles the father, and it was truly the case.
The green eyes that looked up at their mother were exactly like Leticia’s.
“Would you like to hold him?”
“……Yes.”
Julios awkwardly assumed a holding posture. His mouth was dry with tension.
What if he dropped the baby or if the baby cried? His mind was filled with various worries.
And then, the moment the weight of the baby came to his arms, a chill ran down his spine.
All the worries that had filled his mind vanished at once. Julios looked down at his niece without even breathing.
It was simply wondrous.
The sensation of holding this tiny being was something he felt he would never forget until he died.
The baby’s small lips fluttered. The green eyes looked up at Julios.
For the first time, the reality of his second life hit him.
He had truly come back to life.
He was experiencing this overwhelming moment because he was alive.
‘To think I was willing to abandon such an incredible miracle and die.’
Julios could not understand his past self at all.
His eyes reddened. Leticia’s eyes were also moist.
“Thanks to you, Julios, these children were born. Because you changed the future, Dietrian and I were able to meet.”
How could this be?
These precious lives came into existence because of him.
Although he had never thought of it that way, it was true.
Once, he had found the burden he carried so heavy.
But to think that the trials he endured were all to meet these children.
It felt as though all his past had been rewarded.
After a while of gazing at his first niece, Julios carefully handed the baby back to Leticia.
Soon, the second baby princess was cradled in Julios’s arms.
“Hello, little one.”
Perhaps because it was the second baby, he felt a bit more relaxed than before.
The black eyes seemed to be studded with stars.
He carefully examined the baby’s face.
“As she grows, she will look more like Dietrian.”
At that moment, the baby who had been making small noises suddenly broke into a smile.
“Oh, she smiled!”
Leticia exclaimed in delight. Julios looked down at his second niece with trembling eyes.
The little princess, who resembled her older brother, was still smiling.
She probably wasn’t smiling at him yet. It was said that a baby’s true smile would not appear for several months and that this was just a reflexive smile.
Just like when he first saw the two children.
It felt like a miracle.
He had a strong premonition that he would never forget the first smile shown to him.
“It seems that both of them really like you since they aren’t crying. By the way, have you decided on their names?”
The two had asked Julios to name their children not long ago.
Julios waved his hand dismissively.
It was true that he loved the children. But he couldn’t bring himself to name them.
He still maintained a certain distance from this new life.
Although he was grateful and happy for this new life, he never forgot that it was an extra gift.
So that it would be easier to let go.
If any issues arose in the principality, he would be the first to sacrifice himself. Therefore, he must not leave too much of a mark on his nieces’ lives.
He could not honestly confess these feelings.
Despite having refused several times, Dietrian was relentless.
In the end, due to their ongoing arguments, the two children had been without names for several weeks.
Looking back now, Julios wondered if Dietrian might have sensed his true feelings.
‘Leticia probably thinks the same.’
Julios smiled without realizing it.
He understood now why the two had called him here every day.
They were stubborn as anyone could be. They must have resolved to break his will together.
How could he ever defeat such a united pair?
“The first one will be Abel.”
In the end, Julios decided to accept the request of the two.
Perhaps if he had not met his nieces, it would have been different, but he had already come to love them deeply.
In a short time, he had experienced miraculous moments several times.
“The second will be Lehira.”
He had to repay their trust. No matter what life lay ahead of him, he would live it to the fullest.
He had to protect these children until the very last moment.
“Abel and Lehira. If you both like them, I’ll name them that.”
“It’s in the ancient tongue. I like it!”
“Do we not need to consult Dietrian?”
“Of course not! It’s a name given by Julios!”
Leticia smiled brightly.
“Abel, Lehira.”
Abel. New.
Lehira. Life.
For Julios, the two children represented new life.
Chapter 6: Lehira’s Choice
Banessa saw the card on the table and shook his leg anxiously. Ahwin clicked his tongue.
“Just because you drag out the time doesn’t mean the card will change.”
“Hey! Just wait a bit. Why are you so impatient?”
“Why are you staring at it for minutes when you only need to flip it? If you keep being like this, I’ll take it as you’re giving up on the game.”
“Give up! That’s nonsense!”
Banessa quickly took the card.
Before flipping it, he swallowed nervously.
He turned the card over anxiously.
His brow furrowed deeply.
“Ugh.”
“It seems like another bust.”
Ahwin said with a smirk. He also had a card in his hand.
Indeed.
The two were in the middle of a card game.
Not just any game, but one involving the second and third wings of the saint…
They were playing like this in the middle of the Principality Knights’ lounge.
“This must be a bust this time! Brother, it’s over for you! I’m definitely winning this round!”
“We’ll see.”
Ahwin laughed arrogantly. Banessa’s mouth twitched. Ahwin picked two cards from his hand and placed them face down on the table.
“This is really the last one. If you lose this time, don’t follow me around anymore.”
“I’m not going to lose!”
“That’s something you’ll find out once you flip it.”
Ahwin declared.
“If you lose, you’ll cleanly give up the position of the two little lords.”
“Ugh…!”
The strange card game between the two started a few weeks ago.
Even after Princess Dana’s coronation, Banessa stayed in the Empire for a while longer.
It was to help stabilize the princess’s reign.
…which was actually an excuse, as he couldn’t bring himself to leave the Empire.
It was extremely thrilling to see the princess ripping apart the Imperial nobles.
He couldn’t sleep at night, eagerly anticipating the next morning. How would the arrogant nobles be crushed? How would the princess trample over those people?
He was dying of curiosity.
In the process, Banessa realized anew.
Princess Dana, or rather Emperor Dana, was extraordinary.
Once she ascended the throne, Dena was like a sharp blue sword.
She cast out anyone who opposed her without hesitation.
Yet, it wasn’t a reign of terror.
With grace flowing from head to toe, she meticulously removed only the rotten parts.
Her brother, Callisto, who would not hesitate to use any vile means for his goals, was a great asset.
While enjoying his second life, Banessa heard news from the Principality.
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